The present invention concerns rear suspension systems for motor vehicles and, more particularly, is concerned with a unique suspension construction having a unique mounting for the rear shock absorbers. A suspension according to the present invention is an improvement upon the suspension disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,259 issued Jan. 14, 1975 and assigned to the assignee of this patent.
In a motor vehicle rear suspension system according to this disclosure, the sprung part of the vehicle is supported on a rigid rear axle by left and right coil springs. Left and right longitudinal suspension arms are pivotally connected to the vehicle body and to left and right brackets rigid with the rear axle. A Panhard rod extends between the body and the axle and laterally locates one with respect to the other.
The lower end of left and right shock absorbers are pivotally connected to the axle brackets about transverse horizontal axes disposed to the rear of the axle. A link rigid with an intermediate part of each shock absorber extends forwardly therefrom and is pivotally connected to the adjacent bracket about an axis that extends in a vertical direction, the vertical axis being disposed forwardly of the axle.
A vehicle suspension according to the present invention is characterized by its superior performance and simplicity of construction. It is particularly well suited to light weight front wheel drive passenger cars. One feature of the suspension is the unique construction connecting the shock absorbers to the axle which allows the shock absorbers to carry braking torque loads. These loads on the axle are transmitted to the shock absorbers without inhibiting roll movement of the vehicle body relative to the axle.